31 October 2015

Time is a Journey in Itself

In a world where everyone is expected to be a specialist, there is still room to be fully human - by thinking of time itself as a journey. To be a specialist is to restrict a sense of identity to a particular social role, instead of being a traveller through time and space.

The journey through time can go backwards, forwards and around in circles. It may or may not involve space. It may even be a journey deeply into the present moment, retreating from both past and future.

I began this blog in 2009, introducing this writing journey. I reflected, at that time, on travels in relation to the past, present and future.

Adventures can even take people to places in other times, in their imaginations. This is even possible just by reading. Yet reading, and even watching television, can seem more meaningful after being in the place described. While saving to travel, gaining knowledge of a place through books and other media will inevitably shape expectations.

Journeys of self understanding are the most important. You may be wondering if there will be any point in travelling very far in the future, except in the hope of survival. Even the journey to earn an income may change.

I am interested in why some people like to travel and others do not. I am interested in how people go about planning
their travels, their reasons for doing so and the intrinsic rewards before, during and after
particular travels. If you have reached this blog because you like travelling, have you ever thought about the cultural and historical reasons for, and rewards of, your various journeys?

Time can also involve journeys within relationships, especially when seeking or finding a soul mate. Rather than having the same interests, shared values are often found to be the true basis of stability in relationships and societies. Yet it often takes time to know what we truly value.

Having visited almost a quarter of the states in the world, and more than a quarter of the states in the United States of America, and all the states in Australia, I am reasonably well travelled. I have given those places and their people my time, too. I was not merely passing through.

My family history blog, Ancestors Within, is also a social history and cultural history blog. I often reflect on memories, whether my own or those of other people, and gather documentary evidence of multifaceted ancestral journeys.